to follow everything about chile for you throughout the day. >> certainly using just about everybody to report during these early stages of our coverage. thank you, josh levs, with insight on the internet. if you live in hawaii and saw that banner while josh was speaking at a tsunami warning in for hawaii, that is not a misprint. if you're just joining us, that 8.8 earthquake has generated a tsunami. and there is a tsunami warning pretty much for the entire pacific basin with the exception of california, oregon, washington, and the british columbian coastline. tsunami warning for hawaii. they're thinking that this wave should get there around 11:00 a.m. local time. at 6:00 a.m. local time they're going to sound the sirens and begin the evacuation in earnest. and hopefully in a choreographed manner. but you have plenty of time and certainly the local authorities are on this. a 10-to 15-foot possible for the hawaiian islands around 11:00 local time. we'll have more on that in a moment. (announcer) you can make a bigger difference in the world.

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welcome back to cnn's continuing coverage with breaking news out of chile, 8.8 earthquake rock that area today. >> it struck about 3:30 in the

morning local time. we understand at this hour 78 people have been reported dead. now, there are a lot of communications that are still down, especially as you get into those areas closer to the epicenter. so that death toll unfortunately could rise throughout the day. but the problem is twofold. you're seeing now the effects of the earthquake and the damage there. but also the worry of not only a tsunami that we understand has struck there in chile but tsunami warnings that are going out to other countries, including japan, australia, and even, you know, hawaii is being told to prepare and evacuate. >> that's right. karen maginnis in the weather center has been tracking that aspect of this ongoing story. karen, what can you tell us about where this tsunami is headed? >> robinson caruso island does exist and is 4 l00 miles off th chile coast. they did have a huge wave.

that's how they described it, a tsunami, in fact. they had a tsunami wave affect them probably about 45 minutes ago. now they have sent two ships there to send supplies. there are generally about 5 or 600 people that live on robinson caruso island, very small island. also on easter island, one of the most remote places in the world. they get lots of visitors. they do have a few thousand full-time residents that live there. they also are saying that they are looking at the potential for tsunami, and they are going to evacuate some of the coastal areas there and put people towards the inland portions of the island. now, i know that these are very tiny places, but maybe this does give you an indication of what may ripple out as we go further towards the center of the pacific. so even though we've already seen what essentially has been a tsunami and is being described as a large wave that struck the

island, maybe we can interpret that and saying that hawaii under a tsunami warning will have to watch what happens there. 4:00, 4:15 local time in the east. maybe about 11:00, 11:15 local time for hawaii, what will happen there. and we'll have to see what happens for the stracentral por of the pacific basin and japan. there are tsunami warnings, watches and advisories. the advisories go up the california coast to the oregon border. back to you. >> all right, karen maginnimagi thank you for that information on the tsunami warning. we talked to an affiliate meteorologist in hawaii, his name is justin fujioka, this is what he had to say about how hawaii is preparing for this oncoming wave.

what can you tell sus the lus i local state of mind right now? >> good morning, rob. it is just after 2:40 a.m. here in the hawaiian islands. and we are gotten word from civil defense that they will be sire -- sounding the siren at 6:00 a.m. they give the word that the police, the civil defense will be out and about evacuating people in the evacuation zone. i don't know if we're the only city that has this in front of a phone book. but we have maps here that show the zones in the possible tsunami event. anyone in that shaded area will be evacuated at 6:00 a.m. our time and that's when the civil defense sirens will go off. and civil defense is urging everyone to here in the hawaiian islands to use phones sparingly. only in emergency purposes because they will need all of those resources to get these evacuations under way at 6:00 a.m. with the possible threat of this tsunami striking just about

4 1/2 hours later, at 11:19 is when that first potentially destructive wave is expected to hit the hawaiian islands. >> justin, what do you expect to see as far as the number of people who evacuate the coastline, how far away from the coastline will they have to be? i assume there's some sort of drill it is not annual, sometime of some frequency that are practiced in anticipation of these kinds of events. >> that's correct, rob. in fact, we have a monthly test for the sirens on the first working day of each month that make sure they are working. civil defense do these routines quite often to practice these type of evacuation orders. i'm not sure if you can actually see these maps they just showed up, but it's actually includes many big hotels in the waikiki area. that will be a big problem in a few hours from now when they try to evacuate hundreds or even thousands of people along the coastline there in waikiki and the south shore. we did have two previous events like this that luckily did not result in a destructive earthquake. that was back in 1994 and again

in 1986. the past two tsunami warnings did not generate a destructive tsunami here in the islands but it did -- they both did cause some significant chaos here on the islands as far as traffic. if there's any consolation to this event, we're waking up to a saturday morning rather than the prior events which were weekday events and many more people. >> reporter: were on the road. people are starting to hoard up on food. and signs are going up as well that we are looking at possibility of people just putting up signs, they're saying you can only take two or three items of this type of thing, canned goods especially. >> you mentioned the sirens aren't going off for another three or four hours. i suspect that's one of the ways they're going to try to limit the chaos and potentially panic because the wave isn't supposed to arrive for another four or five hours after that. are they evacuating from -- everybody from all aspects of the coastline?

this wave is going to be approaching from the south and east. would northern coastlines be a little bit safer or is this a situation where the islands, as small as they are, it's all encompassing? >> it is all encompassing, rob. this type of energy is not like an ocean generated swell where we see most of the energy on the direction where that energy is coming from. this type of energy has in the past several times wrapped around the islands and we actually see waves much larger on the back side of the islands. this depends on the fning togr y topography of the ocean floor where we could see a possible run-up especially in harbors, maybe bays, places where this energy is amplified. >> justin, one other question. speaking with a geophysicist and he anticipates right now with his data, 10- to 15-foot wave in the harbors, including hilo bay. what would that mean for the number of people that are living

there? >> well, rob, our last destructive tsunami was in 1975. a local generated tsunami. before that we had several in the 1950s and 1960s. in 1960 we did have an earthquake off the toacoast of chile. i believe it's the strongest one in history, 9.5. and that earthquake did generate a destructive tsunami in the hilo bay area. at 30 feet. so that would -- this situation would not be as bad as a destructive tsunami that did kill 61 people in hilo bay. hilo is a top graphical area that tends to enhance this type of energy. and many, many events, regardless of what direction this energy comes from, hilo tends to be the center of attention as far as devastation and problems in these types of events. >> all right. we are getting a statement now from the u.s. embassy in santiago, chile. i want to read it to you. it says, it's from the warden there. it says the earthquake shook central and southern chile today

for approximately three minutes. that's quite a long time for an earthquake. but, in fact, one of the people that we spoke with a little bit earlier who lives in santiago also said the same thing, that it lasted around three minutes. the statement goes on to say there have been no reports of american citizen fatalities or injuries. chilean officials are asking that unless there is an official need to leave, private citizens should remain in their homes, if not damaged, and stay off the roads. now, it also suggests that americans living or traveling in chile register with the nearest u.s. embassy or consulate so they can obtain updated information on travel and security within chile. but again, we're hearing this from the u.s. embassy. the first statement we're seeing so far today, repeating what we've learned, the earthquake shook central and southern chile but shook them for about three minutes. so far there are no reports of any american fatalities or injuries. let me take you now on the ground to cicilia lagos, a

journalist on skype. we've been talking about the aftershocks all morning long. there's been a number of them, including one that was 6.9 in magnitude, which is pretty powerful. >> well, yes. it was terrifying. the replicas have been, at least here in santiago, few, just a few of them, one at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. strong. but the earthquake was absolutely terrifying. >> what was that like? take us back to that moment. what did you experience? >> oh, well, i was sleeping, just like almost everybody. and all of a sudden i was, of course, i woke up. and this is so common here in

chile it's the land of earthquakes and tremors. so it was just one more. and, okay, i always stay in bed and i always say myself, this is -- this is good, okay. if it gets stronger, then i will get up and do something. otherwise, stay there. but this time it stayed there all the time. and it got louder and stronger and more intense and faster. it was -- it was absolutely terrifying, terrifying. frightening. i think i'm running short of words to -- trying to express what we felt and most of us felt last night because, besides, i saw through my window, while i was still in bed, i saw the sky changing colors. it was absolutely surreal. i really thought it was the end of the world. i don't know. i hope you understand me because

i'm not exaggerating, but i saw it through my window like that. that was the most terrifying thing of all, seeing the sky changing colors, terribly, amazingly strong movement of the airs. i really thought, okay, this mother earth is speaking and we should pay attention. >> and you call it the land of earthquakes. that may be a pretty appropriate phrase because since 1973 there have been 13 earthquakes, magnitude 7.0 and higher there. so we're not talking just some small earthquakes. these are very large earthquakes. and we've learned from the u.s. embassy in santiago, according to the statement i just read shortly,this quake lasted for about three minutes. does that sound true to you? did you feel the earth shake for three minutes? that's quite a long time. >> you know what, for me it was shorter. >> was it? >> i mean, i know there's a beginning, which is really like

slow and soft, and then it comes the real intense part in the middle, and then it calms down again. you see. but what i felt the most intense part, the most frightening part, the part that was really damaging, for me, it was only maybe half a minute or so. because i have experienced -- previous experience, 25 years ago, march 3, 1985, almost 25 years, you know, sharp, and that was longer for me. that lasted -- maybe it was lower intensity but it was longer in the duration, you see. so this was, i think, for me, maybe shorter but much more intense. probably this one was three minutes long considering the slow part and the soft part and the end, which was also quite

soft. but the really strong and terrible part was, for me, was shorter than 25 years ago. >> well, as a journalist i'm sure you're trying to get as much information from the areas closest to the epicenter where most of the damage will be. what have you heard about places like concepcion? have you heard anything more about just how extensive that damage might be? >> yes. well, concepcion is south of santiago. it's like five hours driving. it's about 600 kilometers away from santiago. and it was really devastating. i mean, what i'm seeing here in santiago is really nothing compared to what i'm seeing on tv and the local stations covering there in concepcion. the streets are totally destroyed. the earth literally opened,

opened up like "2012" movie, the same thing. entire building collapsed. it's really a nightmare. i mean, the best sci-fi picture, the best sci-fi movie wouldn't describe it better. i mean if you saw "2012," well, almost. that's in concepcion. it's really -- it's really everything is falling apart. >> there is a lot of devastation. in fact, we're looking at video coming to us out of our affiliates there. >> especially on the roads and bridges and buildings. >> yes. a major bridge has been knocked down, we understand. some buildings are on fire. have you heard any more information as to a possible tsunami that may have struck that area? >> no. what i heard is something similar to a tsunami. the president bachelet here didn't want to call it a tsunami, actually. she just wanted to say that it was like a big, big wave.

and juan fernandez island, the juan fernandez, the whole or almost -- most of the territory there on the island was covered by a big huge wave. and they are sending chiefs and helicopters with help for the people there. we don't really know because juan fernandez is sort of isolated. it's really difficult to get communications live from there. we're just having information through the chilean fema. it serves with the same purpose as fema there in the u.s. and they are telling us that juan fernandez island has been covered by this big, big wave. as i say, they don't want to call it a tsunami. i don't know if it's just not to create panic among the

population or if it's just not meeting the requirements to be called a tsunami. but the things, the closest sea phenomenon that experiencing here in chile with real danger just happened in juan fernandez island closer to easter island. >> okay. cecilia lagos, journalist, recapping her experiencing and giving us an update on what she has herd in country about some of the other areas that may have been affected. cecilia, thank you so much for your time today. we appreciate. >> thank you. >> those islands just off the coast. >> how close are they to the coastline? >> 100 miles or so, so they would have been affected pretty quickly, a matter of, you know, 10 to 20 minutes. >> slohortly after the quake. >> sortly after. we call it a local tsunami.

typically they happen quickly because they're that much closer, 400, 500 miles an hour, they're going to get it. robinson crusoe is part of that archipelago that makes up the juan fernandez chain there. and we've had different reports coming out of there, and that's the second time we heard they had a huge wave go over. they're sending ships and helicopte helicopters, a little unnerving to say the least and unnerving for folks who haven't seen the tsunami yet, and that's pretty much within the pacific basin including hawaii that expects to see some sort of tsunami at 11:00 a.m. their time. so plenty of time, local authorities are on it and their evacuations will be in place. >> very shortly. >> very shortly. >> we are following this. there's much more coverage on cnn as we gain additional information and video coming into the cnn "newsroom."

all right. we want to get you the latest now on the situation in chile. the death toll still remains at 78 right now, but information is still coming in, and of course we do expect that to rise as we get new video coming out of a --

new report coming out of the areas closest to the epicenter. this was very large, 8.8 in magnitude. >> yeah, an 8.8 magnitude happening while most everybody slept, felt as far away as argentina and will be felt probably as far away as hawaii as we're dealing with tsunami warnings. the update on fatality number, 82 now is the number that we're getting in. and josh levs has more on this as far as pictures are concerned and how folks are beginning to prepare, because this swaef coming to hawaii in one way, shape, or form later today. >> you know what, because you said that, i'll show you a brand-new photo we've gotten inside hawaii where people are lining up to get gasoline in order to try to get away. let's zoom in and then we'll get to tweets. a photo from the associated press. car lights here, but behind there's a huge row of cars, the ap telling us this is a lot of people lining up to get gasoline because everyone is trying to move into the area they're going

to be most safe. now some of the latest pictures from santiago from ap. this was an overhead highway, and now it has collapsed. it has turned into rubble. there's a police officer there trying to block off the area. this we're told was a home in talka turned into pure rubble and you can see there's no sign of it having been a home. that's extent of the damage right there. that's an overturned car. this one's in santiago, again, one of these overturned highways we believe that ripped apart in the earthquake. this car right here, you can see the wheels sticking up, has been turned over. one more of the latest photos, a car buried under rubble. that's the car in dark right there. the brown is the rubble. that's just slammed on top of it. all during the earthquake several hours ago just this morning. let me get you the latest tweets. twitter is playing a major role, in general the internet is. we've gotn this one about some u.s. students. this is interesting.

it said we heard from some of the american university students. they're fine. on skype with son right now. he is in an eastern santiago suburb. whether you're tweeting me or tweeting each other, following chilean tweets in general. someone is saying she's concerned about her brother serving in a mission in the biobio region of chile. how can we get info? let's show the state department image again that has the phone number for you to call. this is for american citizens concerned about loved one in s chile. keep those images, story, videos coming if you can take them safely. and betty and rob, we'll be here throughout the next hour and camp out right here, all the interactives on this huge story. >> a lot of resources in place and we're bringing you the latest information just as soon as we get it out of chile, where

an 8.8 magnitude quake has struck and so far the death toll is at 82 at this hour. ♪ the budget masters. the knockout artists who are finding more ways to spread their dollar further. to bolder color in less time. say hello to newer ideas and lowered prices, enabling more people... to turn more saving into more doing. that's the power of the home depot. try behr premium plus ultra, it's paint and primer all in one, and rated number one.